A Hat's Family
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Postgame. Hat Kid sets her sights on finally returning home and Snatcher joins her, having a soft spot for her. Will they get to her homeworld? Done as a request for dream1990. :)
1. Unexpected Stowaway

**dream1990 asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy! :) **

**A Hat In Time belongs to Gears For Breakfast. I own nothing. **

**A/N: This story is postgame and will have the Snatcher acting a little OOC because let's face it, he's got a soft spot for the kid. :) Also, the names for Hat Kid and her parents, along with her parents' appearances are ones that myself and dream1990 came up with. Also, please be gentle in the reviews. This is my first "A Hat In Time" story. **

**Now, on with the story!**

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**A Hat's Family**

**Chapter 1: Unexpected Stowaway **

Hat Kid, whose real name was Charlotte, checked on a few more instruments on her ship. "Okay, looks like all is well," she said to herself, checking to make sure she had all the time pieces back. It had been a journey to go down to the planet and battle the many inhabitants to get back her time pieces. She hadn't wanted to fight, but they had insisted upon a battle.

She then remembered Snatcher, the shadow that she had battled and convinced to accept a contract that she had altered so that he could be her best friend. He hadn't wanted to sign it, but her stubborness won out. Not only that, he had at least been somewhat nice to her, not bothering her after she had battled him and she did like him, but she refused to sign another contract from him, though he had tried to get her to before she had begun steering her ship away to go home.

Nodding, she turned to double check the coordinates to her homeworld when all of a sudden, a dark shadow popped up beside her, making her jump with a start and fall down. She looked up to see the all-too-familiar jack o'lantern face looking down at her from a tall shadow. "Well, there you are," came the all-too-familiar voice as he reached for her.

Charlotte screamed at both his unexpected appearance and him reaching for her. Scrambling backwards, she got to her feet and ran, looking for her umbrella, but it was over by the piloting chair, which was a good few rooms away from where she was now.

Running faster now, she dodged a few attempted grabs from the Snatcher, who stuck to her trail like glue before he finally disappeared through the floor, popping up in front of her suddenly. The young girl screamed again and tried to backtrack, but the shadow creature was faster and he caught her, wrapping his arms around her in a secure hug. "Whoa, kiddo," he said, his voice calm, which was unusual. "Calm down."

"Let me go!" She demanded him, squirming to get away, but his tail came up and coiled around her legs from the knees down, effectively trapping her. Despite this, she still squirmed her hardest, but Snatcher didn't let go.

"Kid, stop squirming," he said. "I just want to talk."

She glared at him. "I'm not signing another contract!" She said strongly. "BFFs don't make other BFFs sign contracts!"

Snatcher chuckled, glad to see the kid still had her spunk and attitude. He had to admit, it was somewhat cute and he admired her spunk. No wonder she had defeated all the bosses, including him, to get all her time pieces.

"Kid, you either calm down or I will make you sign another contract," he said, but it was an empty threat. He wouldn't make her sign anything else and he knew his sudden entrance had surprised her, but he also knew that she was all alone on the ship and he wasn't going to let her be alone anymore.

After all, a best friend forever is always there for their best friend forever, right?

Charlotte finally stopped struggling, unable to get free from the shadow creature, who was pleased to see that she had calmed down a little. "Kid, I just want to talk," he said, a note of concern in his voice. "You're alone on this ship, aren't you?"

She looked at him. "Yes," she said. "But I can handle it myself! I know how to drive it!"

He chuckled in amusement. "I didn't say you couldn't or didn't," he told her. "And in case you forgot, I've been watching you since you defeated me. I know you can handle yourself fine, kid, but I'm not about to let you fly this ship alone."

She gave him a glare. "You're not touching anything on my ship!" She said. "Especially not my hourglasses!"

Okay, now he was getting a little fed up with her attitude. He placed a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, though she did squirm and try to shake his hand off, but it didn't work. "Kid, you're going to hear me out even if I have to tie you up," he said, his voice taking on a firm note. "And believe me, that's the last thing I want to do."

She stopped struggling again and looked up at him and he nodded in satisfaction. "Good, now listen to me," he said. "I'm not going to make you sign another contract, but you're going to need help getting home. You're a great pilot, don't get me wrong, but your home's a good week away, right?"

She shook her head and he removed his hand so that she could talk. "Three weeks," she said, pointing to a calendar on the wall. Snatcher took a closer look and his eyes widened.

"Kid, you mean to say it takes three weeks to get from your home to my world?!" He asked incredulously. "Why did it take so long?"

"It just did," she said. "Even at the fastest speed."

The shadow looked curious. "Don't most spaceships have a warp drive?" He asked.

She gave him a curious look and he clarified. "A warp drive allows a ship to travel very fast and teleport to another area of space or time," he said. "It's also called warping."

Charlotte shook her head. "No, it doesn't," she said.

Snatcher looked thoughtful and set her down. "Wait here," he said, diving down and taking a look at the engines. "There must be a warp drive here somewhere. Every book I've read on spaceships mentions one."

After a moment, he found was he was looking for and he was confused. "Okay, why isn't the warp drive connected to the engine? And why is the fuel output set on low? She's got enough fuel in this ship for a while."

Thanks to his having read about engines and warp drives, it was a cinch to plug it all in and adjust the fuel output and even make another few adjustments so that the fuel would be used more effectively. He appeared right behind the kid, who was looking at the coordinates again and he smirked, leaning down. "Boo," he whispered in her ear.

The kid let out a surprised yelp that made him howl with laughter before he felt her poke him with her umbrella, which he gently took from her and chuckled. "You're too easy to scare," he said before looking serious. "But seriously, whoever put this ship together forgot to connect the warp drive to the engine and they also had your fuel output on low, which wouldn't be enough to give you a boost of speed should you need it."

She looked at him. "You know, back where I'm from, an elder sent me off in my ship late one night, saying I had to keep the time pieces safe," she said. "He didn't let the maintenance men look at it and he just told me to fly."

That confused Snatcher. "What person in their right mind sends a five-year-old kid into space by themselves with such a big mission and on a ship that wasn't even looked over before she left?"

She shrugged and he sighed. "Okay, well, I'm going to help you get home, kid," he said. "By the way, I know I keep calling you 'kid', but do you have a name?"

She nodded before looking a bit shy. "Charlotte," she said, playing with her cape.

"Charlotte, eh?" He asked before smiling. "I think that name suits you, kid."

She smiled before looking curious. "Snatcher, why would you help me?" She asked.

Smiling, he picked her up. "Cause you showed me something better than contracts," he said. "Having a friend."

She cocked her head to the side and he chuckled. "It's true," he said. "Plus, I owe you for all the work you bravely did for me. That took a lot of guts and determination."

Charlotte thought for a moment and then looked up at Snatcher, seeing he was being truthful. And he was her BFF. She smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said. "It would be nice not to travel alone."

The shadow smiled. "You got a deal, kid," he said before he playfully snatched her purple hat off her head.

"Hey!" She cried out, chasing after him as he laughed and moved around the room, trying to make it a fair chase. "Snatcher, give me my hat back!"

"Come and get it, Charlotte," he said teasingly.

She ran at him, but missed and began to get huffy, frowning at him and stomping her foot. Snatcher laughed as he found this cute. "Kid, if you want someone to take you seriously, you got to make yourself less cute," he said as he placed her hat gently back on her head. She gave him another glare, along with a pout, which just made him laugh harder before he scooped her up suddenly, making her gasp in surprise before he playfully tossed her up into the air and caught her, repeating the action a few times until he heard her giggle and he chuckled. "Yep. You're just too cute," he said, pinching her left cheek gently in affection.

She sighed, but giggled as she hugged him and he returned the hug, seeing there was no one but the kid to see his soft side. Charlotte then went to the pilot's chair and began steering her ship for home with her best friend floating proudly beside her.

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**I just love Snatcher because while he tries to be a bad guy, he's just a big marshmallow on the inside. :) Plus he looks cool. :) **

**Okay, so they've set off for home, but will they make it? Stay tuned to find out! :) Next chapter: Charlotte gains a new family member. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! I'll send Snatcher after any flamers! XD **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	2. A New Uncle

**Chapter 2: A New Uncle **

With the new warp drive working, it did seem like the ship was faster and Charlotte put in the coordinates for her homeworld, smiling as the computer came up with new calculations in an instant. "Okay, it says it'll be two days before we get back to my homeworld," she said before looking down. "I miss Mommy and Daddy."

"And I bet they miss you, kiddo," Snatcher said with a nod. He suddenly saw a comet that was a ways from them, but still close enough to see. "Whoa, look at that."

The young girl looked out the window and gasped softly. "We're on the right track," she said. "Daddy told me that there's always a comet that points in the direction of our homeworld, no matter which direction we're coming from."

The shadow smiled. "Glad to know we're going in the right direction," he said. "I can also hear your stomach growling. Did you eat lunch yet? Or rather dinner?"

Charlotte shook her head. "I am hungry," she said. "I haven't even looked to see what the kitchen has."

"I'll check it out."

With that, Snatcher flew over to the kitchen and was pleased to see it was well stocked, though he had a feeling it wasn't the elder's doing. "I'm going to have a word with that elder for sending the kid on a mission practically unprepared," he grumbled to himself as he pulled out a can of tomato soup, some bread, butter, and cheese, nodding to himself as he got cooking.

Charlotte was looking at a star map, which she knew how to read thanks to her folks, when she smelled a delicious aroma and looked up to see Snatcher coming out of the kitchen and he smiled at her. "Hey, kid, put the ship on autopilot. Dinner's ready," he said.

"Okay," she said.

When she came into the kitchen, she saw what smelled so good and her stomach gave a loud growl. She was about to go over and climb into the chair when she was suddenly swooped up into the air. Letting out a yelp, she squirmed until she heard a familiar chuckle and calmed down, tilting her head backwards so that she was looking up at the ghostly figure and she gave him a frown. "Snatcher, that wasn't nice," she chided.

He just grinned. "Someone's grumpy," he said, poking her side before sitting her in the chair. "Go ahead. Eat up. You're going to need your strength for flying the ship."

She turned her attention to the food and dug in eagerly, the food tasting delicious. Snatcher watched with a smile as the kid ate. "You like it?" He asked.

She nodded. "Just like how Mommy makes them," she said.

The shadow stood taller at the compliment, glad that the food came out good. "Guess those cooking books I read really paid off," he said to himself as he dove down to check on the engine. Though he had fixed it, he wanted to be sure it was still running smoothly.

Everything was in working order, to his relief, and his modifications to use the fuel effectively was working exactly the way it should. "Good," he said. "If all goes well, we'll be at her home day after tomorrow."

He then floated back up to the kitchen and saw the kid putting her dishes away in the sink and he playfully tapped her hat so that it fell over her eyes. "Hey!" She said, reaching up to fix her hat while Snatcher laughed in amusement before doing up the dishes.

"Just messing with you, kid," he said, drying his hands and checking the clock, seeing it was getting late. "Okay, I know there's no day or night in space, but I think it might be good to get some shut eye."

Charlotte yawned, rubbing her eyes, which made the tall shadow chuckle. "Called it," he said, scooping her up and placing her on his back. She grabbed onto his mane, holding on as he gave her a piggy-back ride back to the pilot chair to make sure everything was good before they turned in. "Okay, everything's good, so let's get you tucked into bed."

The young girl didn't respond and he saw why. She had fallen asleep. Chuckling, he gently placed her in her bed, removing her hat and setting it aside, tucking the covers around her gently and smiled as she turned over in her sleep and sighed peacefully. Nodding, he noticed the couch nearby and settled onto it, feeling a bit tired himself. One would think a shadow wouldn't get tired or sleep, but he did.

_A few hours later..._

Charlotte suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but a sob escaped her. Snatcher woke with a start at hearing that and immediately went up to the young girl's bed, scooping her up into a hug instantly. She clung to him tightly, her small body shaking. "Kid, you okay?" He asked, his voice comforting. "Did you have a nightmare?"

It took a moment for the kid to calm down, but once she did, she snuggled into the shadow's hug, beginning to feel better. "It's what Daddy calls a fear dream," she said.

Snatcher looked at her. "A fear dream?" He repeated until it hit him. "A dream about your worst fear?"

She nodded. "I dreamed that I never found Mommy and Daddy," she said.

He shook his head. "Kid, you're going to find them," he said. "You're already on the right track and you got me who fixed up your engines and warp drive."

Charlotte nodded as what he said was true. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome, kiddo," he said before rocking her gently. "Let's get you back to bed."

She grabbed onto his mane. "Wait!" She said, making him look at her. "Don't go."

"Kiddo, I'm not going anywhere," he said.

She shook her head and hugged him tighter, to which he understood. "Oh, you don't want to be alone," he realized before shaking his head with a gentle smile. "Ah, kid, you're really making me go soft. I'm just glad no one's here to see me going soft."

Charlotte giggled before she nuzzled her face into his fur and he chuckled, setting her down in her bed and tucking her back in, laying down beside her. She frowned at that. "It gets cold," she said, trying to tug the covers over him.

Chuckling, he slipped under the covers before she cuddled in his arms, smiling as she felt better. Smiling, Snatcher held her as he began humming a soft lullaby, remembering from some of the stories he read that little ones liked soft music and a lullaby could often help them fall asleep. Seeing she was gazing up at him with curious, sleepy eyes, he smiled before he began softly singing.

"_A moon rises with a smile, _

_The stars shining in the sky, _

_Gazing down upon me and you, _

_As each hour goes by. _

_Eyes closing, a soft pillow, _

_Each has their own little song, _

_Ready to sing it to you, _

_As the night moves along. _

_Listen to the lull of this lullaby, _

_Dreams will come find you tonight, _

_As you sleep in your warm bed, _

_Until it becomes morning's light." _

Seeing Charlotte's eyelids drooping, Snatcher began stroking her head soothing with one hand, the gesture making the little girl lose the battle against sleep, but she managed to give him one last hug. "I love you...Uncle Snatcher," she said softly before falling back asleep.

The shadow was surprised, blinking and looking at the kid that had not only wormed her way into his heart, but accepted him as a member of her family. He smiled after the shock wore off. "Uncle, hmm?" He asked quietly. "I actually like that."

Gazing down at the sleeping child, he nuzzled his forehead against her forehead gently. "I love you too...my little niece," he said softly.

As if she heard him, which he believed she did, Charlotte snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder. Not having the heart to move her, he tucked the covers around her more before laying his head down and falling asleep himself, the night becoming peaceful for the new uncle and his new niece.

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**Okay, pictures of Snatcher and Hat Kid on Deviantart is what inspired this chapter. :) Hat's off to those amazing artists for such great artwork of these two! :) **

**Next up: More bonding time for our favorite shadow and kid. :) Also the song Snatcher sings to Charlotte is one I made up. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	3. Jokes And Bonding

**Chapter 3: Jokes And Bonding **

"Okay, so when do astronauts eat?"

"When?"

"At _launch _time!"

Charlotte giggled as she told Snatcher the punch line and the shadow-like being sighed, though he inwardly admitted that the joke was a rather cute one, though he wouldn't say that out loud to the kid.

"Okay," she said. "Can February March?"

He blinked at her. "Kid, February is a month. It can't march," he said.

"Right, but April May."

He looked confused before it hit him. "February, March, April, May," he said before groaning as she giggled up a storm. "Kid, that one was really corny."

She just giggled again. "Why is six afraid of seven?" She asked.

Snatcher had a feeling this was another corny joke. "Why?" He asked, mostly out of curiosity.

"Because seven, eight, nine!" Charlotte said with a giggle. "Get it? Seven ate nine!"

He blinked before he groaned, getting it. "Okay, that was super corny," he said.

She giggled again. "Come on, those are some good ones," she said. "I saw you just barely hide a smile."

He groaned again. He couldn't hide anything from this kid. "You're so lucky I've got a soft spot for you, kid," he said, but his voice held no heat.

Charlotte laughed. "I've got another one," she said. "It's a good one."

Snatcher groaned. "It better not be corny," he said.

"No, it's a really good one."

He didn't know if he was insane or just bored that he let her keep telling him jokes. "Okay," he relented.

She grinned. "Y-E-S spells...?" She trailed off, gesturing to him.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Yes," he replied.

"Okay, what does E-Y-E-S spell?"

He blinked at her. "Um, ease?" He asked, trying to phonetically work it out.

Charlotte burst into laughter and shook her head. "No," she giggled out. "Try again."

He thought harder. "E-yes?" He asked, but that sent the little girl into another giggle fit. He sighed. "A-yes?"

The little girl was howling with laughter now and it was a bit before she calmed down. "Y-E-S spells yes, so what does E-Y-E-S spell?" She asked.

Snatcher thought his head might explode as he was stumped. "I-yes?" He guessed.

The little girl laughed so hard she fell to the floor and finally the shadow-like figure had enough. "Kid, why are you laughing?! What is the joke?!" He asked in exasperation.

Managing to control her giggles, Charlotte handed him a pencil and a piece of paper. "Write it out. You'll get it after you do," she suggested.

Sighing, he began spelling it out on the paper. "E...Y...E...S," he paused as he looked at it before looking at the kid. "Eyes."

Charlotte burst into laughter again as he gave her a look. "Oh, you think that's funny?" He asked before smirking as he reached for her. "Want to know what uncles do to mischievous little girls?"

Instantly realizing what he was about to do, she squeaked and ran, laughing the whole time as Snatcher took off after her, hot on her trail, but he decided to let her try to get away. After all, a game of chase was only fun if it didn't end too soon.

Charlotte ran, glad that she was wearing blue jeans and a purple t-shirt, because it made running easier, though she knew her uncle would catch her. Sure enough, she was suddenly scooped up into long, thin arms that were stronger than they looked and she was suddenly upside down. Giggling at seeing the world upside down, she happened to look up and see Snatcher grinning at her. "Well, well, what do I have here? A mischievous little niece who needs a tickle torture," he said, his grin growing as he had one arm tucked securely around Charlotte's legs while she was upside down and his free hand scribbled all over her small stomach.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAHAHAHAHAHAHAT TIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLES! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The little girl laughed, squealing when a finger playfully poked the middle of her stomach where her belly button was.

"Oh, you think that tickles, huh?" He asked with a chuckle as he moved his other arm so that it was behind her shoulders and he hoisted her up so that she was cradled in his arms. "I think this one will tickle your fancy."

Snatcher moved the little one's shirt up just a little to expose the ticklish stomach and he blew a big raspberry right into it, sending Charlotte into hysterics.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOT THAHAHAHAHAHAHAT!" She pleaded.

"Oh, yes, that," he said with a chuckle. "Raspberries."

He did it again, making her squeal again before he chuckled. "And now, time for a yummy snack!" He said teasingly before he started playfully munching on his niece's stomach, which sent her into another squealing fit. "Aww, look at that. Is my niece just too ticklish that she loves having her uncle munch on her wittle tummy?"

Charlotte never would have guessed that her uncle could be this playful. She had been wondering about it, especially where she had gotten him to be her BFF and then he had accepted the role of uncle to her. It seemed that by doing so, she brought out a more playful side to him. She squealed again as Snatcher blew another raspberry into the small stomach and then began munching on it playfully again.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" The shadow-like being cooed to her. "I've got my niece's yummy wittle tummy and I'm going to eat it all up!"

His huge smile told her that he was only playing with her, like how her mother and father would. Giggling, she suddenly had an idea and reached up to him. Thinking she was about to plead for mercy, Snatcher stopped and leaned down, smiling at her. "You going to beg for mercy?" He asked teasingly.

She giggled. "Nope!" She said before her hands shot to his sides and her fingers wiggled into that spot.

Surprised, the shadow-like creature yelped before falling backwards, the small child pouncing on him before he could try to escape. "I've got you now, Uncle!" She giggled out before tickling his sides again, moving her hands up to where his uppermost ribs would be if he was human.

Snatcher let out a squeal that he would never admit to as that spot turned out to be his worst spot and he howled with laughter, nearly freezing up with tickle paralysis, but before it could fully take effect, he reached up, tickling Charlotte's underarms, which made her squeal with laughter before she got his tickle spot again and they both laughed as they tickled each other before finally collapsing on the floor, worn out from the tickle torture.

The shadow-like being chuckled. "Whew! You give a mean tickle torture, kid," he said.

She giggled. "You have a funny laugh," she said.

He let that one slide as he gently flicked her hat off her head and ruffled her hair, making her giggle as she tried to fend off his hand, which would have worked if his tail hadn't coiled around her stomach and lifted her up so that she was hovering over her uncle, who smirked as he put his folded hands behind his head and leaned back against the floor, making Charlotte giggle as she squirmed a little to try and get free, but the tail tightened a little, keeping her snugly secure as Snatcher chuckled, smiling fondly at her.

Just then, the computer beeped and the shadow-like being floated upwards, gently setting the child down and watching her scamper to the pilot chair to see what was going on. She gasped, a happy smile coming to her face. "We're home!" She said happily.

The tall being gazed at the computer to see that they had indeed arrived at their coordinates and he gazed from the window to see a planet that looked very much like his prior home. He smiled and nodded. "Yep, we're home," he said.

She looked up at him. "Uncle Snatcher, will you help me land the ship?" She asked.

"Sure thing, Charlotte," he said, gently tapping her hat that she had put back on her head and she giggled as they both worked the controls to land the ship and powered off the engine, ready to back on solid ground once more.

* * *

**So they have made it back to Charlotte's homeworld. I just love bonding moments and the E-Y-E-S joke is one of my favorite jokes of all. :) **

**Next up: Charlotte is reunited with her parents. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	4. Reunion And Truth

**Chapter 4: Reunion And Truth **

The ship landed smoothly and the door slid open as Charlotte and Snatcher got ready to step out of the ship. "I hope we can find my parents," she said.

"I'm sure we will, kiddo," the shadow-like being said gently.

They walked down the ramp and a man in overalls came up to them. "Why, Charlotte!" He said in surprise. "I didn't know you had gone on a mission."

"It was a secret mission," she said to him. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."

"Oh, no worries," he said. "This one is due for a maintenance check anyway. The warp drive is disconnected and the fuel line needs adjusting."

Snatcher felt this was a good time to step in. "I know, because I fixed both the warp drive and fuel line for her," he said. "Both were not working properly and it took her a long time to reach my former world from here."

Charlotte nodded. "The elder didn't want someone looking at the ship before I left," she said.

The maintenance worker frowned. "But you could have been lost or stranded," he said. "Didn't the elder know that this ship was not working right when he sent you on that mission?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "He just told me to go on my mission."

The maintenance worker shook his head. "Well, thank goodness for your friend for helping you," he said. "You're very lucky."

"He's my new uncle," she said. "By the way, do you know where my Mommy and Daddy are?"

He smiled. "I believe I saw them in the market just five minutes ago," he said.

"Thank you."

Charlotte led Snatcher to the marketplace. "Uncle Snatcher, do you think the elder knew about the ship not being ready to fly?" She asked.

"I've got a feeling he did know, kiddo," he said. "And when I see that elder, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."

The little girl looked up at him before reaching for his hand and he smiled, letting her take his hand. "Kid, you've really grown on me," he said. "And I know your parents will be proud of you and happy to see you too."

Charlotte smiled. "I can't wait," she said before stopping with a gasp as she saw her parents. "Mommy! Daddy!"

The couple she saw turned in surprise before their faces took on looks of happiness and tears fell down their faces. "Charlotte! My baby!" The lady called out, dropping her basket and running up to her daughter, who ran into her mother's arms.

"Mommy," the little girl said, tears running down her face as she hugged her mother, who hugged her tight.

"Oh, my baby girl," the woman said.

The man kneeled beside his wife, a look of hope on his face. "Charlotte," he said, hugging her and his wife.

"Daddy," Charlotte said, reaching one arm out to hug him too.

"Sweetheart, you're home," he said, tears falling down his face.

Snatcher watched the reunion and he actually felt tears sting his eyes. Looking at the couple, he could see the resemblance between the child and her parents. The mother had blue eyes and long black hair and wore a long-sleeved, purple dress while the father had green eyes and brown hair and wore a dark-blue suit. He saw Charlotte snuggle into her parents' hug, tears running down her face and he nodded.

"Kid's been away from them for almost a month," he said to himself. "That's a long time for someone her age."

He saw Charlotte turn to him and smile, moving gently away from her parents before going up to him and taking his hand, gently dragging him over to them. "Mommy. Daddy, this is Uncle Snatcher. He helped me get back home," the little girl said.

The couple looked up at him. "You helped our daughter?" The man asked.

"Yes," Snatcher said truthfully with a nod. "You both have a very bright daughter."

"Thank you," the lady said. "Charlotte says you helped her fix the ship so that she could get home."

"Yes," he said before frowning. "The elder was wrong to do what he did, though I have to ask why he sent Charlotte on a mission in a faulty ship and all alone?"

"We can explain that," the man said. "Let's get home. By the way, I'm Adam and this is my wife, Emily."

"Hello," Emily said with a smile. "And welcome."

Snatcher bowed his head in respect to them. "Thank you," he said.

They soon made it to a cozy, modest home and as Charlotte went to go get some toys to play with in the living room, Adam and Emily spoke to Snatcher.

"The elder had sent Charlotte on her 'mission' to punish us for not allowing him to buy a Time Piece from us," Adam said.

"You see, we are Time Watchers," Emily explained. "We make sure that someone with ill intentions doesn't get the hourglasses that we keep in our shop."

Charlotte arrived in the living room with some building blocks and Snatcher winced a little at Emily's explanation, thinking about how he had greedily tried to keep the Time Pieces from the kid in the first place and now feeling guilty because he could now see how important they were. Seeing this, the child looked up at him and crawled into his lap, making him look at her while one arm instinctively came around her to help her keep her balance.

"It's okay, Uncle. I forgive you," she said. "And in the end, you gave me the Time Pieces you found in your forest."

He sighed. "True, but that doesn't excuse what I did and what I made you do to get them back," he said.

Adam looked curious. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Charlotte turned to her father. "He had me do some errands for him," she said. "Nothing bad, just some things that needed to be done."

Emily looked at her daughter. "Honey, are you sure?" She asked. "You're not just defending him, are you?"

The child shook her head. "I'm sure, Mommy," she said. "And in the end, he became my BFF."

A chuckle escaped Snatcher as he remembered the kid making changes to the contract he had written up and convincing him to sign it. "You didn't really give me a choice, kiddo," he said, playfully poking her side to make her giggle. "You used my weakness against me. That and I have a soft spot for kids."

Adam chuckled. "Let me guess. Our little Charlotte grew on you," he said.

"That she did," the shadow-like being said with a smile. "And a persistent little one too. I don't think I've met anyone as persistent as she is."

Emily chuckled. "I'm afraid she gets that from me," she said.

"So true, my love," Adam said, looking at his wife fondly.

Charlotte giggled before looking at her parents. "Mommy, Daddy, can he stay?" She asked. "He is my uncle after all."

Snatcher looked a bit bashful at that statement, but chuckled. "Never thought I'd one day gain a niece," he said, feeling her hug him again and he returned the hug.

Emily smiled. "What do you think, Adam?" She asked.

"Well, he did help our daughter and if it wasn't for him, she might not have been able to return home," Adam said before looking at his wife. "What do you think, Emily? Think we got room for one more family member?"

The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, plus Charlotte is attached to him," she said. "And I think he's earned a place in the family."

"Then it's settled," Adam said, smiling as he stood up and went up to Snatcher, who stood up and noticed the man's outstretched hand. He shook it. "Welcome to the family, Snatcher."

"Yes, welcome," Emily said with a smile.

"Yay!" Charlotte cheered happily as Snatcher bowed his head.

"Thank you," he said gratefully before feeling Charlotte bouncing in his arms and he smiled, lifting her up so that she was like an airplane in the air. She giggled as he did so, reaching for him and he pulled her closer, smiling as she hugged him.

"Love you, Uncle Snatcher," she said, giving him a cute kiss on the cheek.

The shadow-like being blushed, but smiled. "Love you too, kiddo," he said. "Even if you drive me nuts sometimes."

"Hey!" She said without heat as Adam and Emily laughed in amusement, happy to have their daughter back and that their daughter had found a new family member who cared for her just as they did.

* * *

**They've made it home. :) **

**Next up: Snatcher learns a bit more about being a Time Watcher. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	5. The Family Business

**Chapter 5: The Family Business **

Snatcher was half awake and half asleep that morning, deciding to stay in bed a bit longer and just enjoy the peace and quiet, though he knew Charlotte would be up soon and if he remembered from his books, some kids loved going in to wake up their parents or family members.

Sure enough, he heard small feet coming down the hallway and smiled, his eyes staying closed as he waited patiently. The door to his room opened and he heard the little girl come in.

"Uncle Snatcher?" Charlotte asked before seeing he was still in bed and at first glance he looked to be still sleeping, but she saw the grin on his face grow, which told her he was awake and heard her. Giggling, she went over and climbed up onto the bed, going up to her uncle's face and giggling again as she saw his grin. "I know you're awake."

He turned onto his side away from her and silently chuckled as he heard her huff before feeling fingers rest right on his side and he jumped, making Charlotte squeal with giggles as he turned and coiled around her, gently pinning her arms to her sides. He smiled at her. "Well, well, you were going to tickle me awake, hmm?" He asked her.

Charlotte giggled. "It got you up, didn't it?" She asked cheekily.

"Oh, you just asked for it, kid," he said, lifting up her purple pajama top just a little and leaning down, blowing a huge raspberry right over the girl's belly button. The little girl squeal with laughter and squirmed, but the shadow-like being had her trapped and he chuckled, his fingers now wiggling into her stomach to make her laugh before he leaned back and his tail lifted her up so that she was hovering over him again, smiling as he watched her calm down before she gave him a cute look with big eyes and a big smile.

"I love you, Uncle Snatcher," she said.

He chuckled and his tail lowered her down as his arms reached up, bringing her into a hug. "I love you too, kiddo," he said. "Are your folks up?"

She nodded. "Daddy went to the hourglass shop and Mommy's making breakfast," she said.

"Your father left before breakfast?" Snatcher asked in concern.

Charlotte shook her head. "He eats before he leaves and he's usually up before me and Mommy," she said. "And after breakfast, Mommy and I go to the shop to help Daddy."

The shadow-like being was curious. "What does your family sell at the shop?" He asked.

She giggled. "Mommy sells pastries and Daddy sells figures that he's made out of leftover metal," she said. "That and we have to make sure the hourglasses are okay too."

Snatcher was intrigued. "Hmm, I think I'd like to see the shop," he said. "Come, let's go find your mother."

Emily had just finished packing away the pastries to sell and had set down breakfast at the table when Snatcher floated in with Charlotte on his back and the little girl was giggling happily from the piggy-back ride. The older woman smiled. "Good morning, Snatcher. Good morning, sweetheart," she said.

"Morning, Mommy!" Charlotte said as her uncle set her down and she ran to give her mother a big hug.

Snatcher smiled and bowed his head politely. "Good morning, Miss Emily," he said politely.

"Oh, just 'Emily' is fine, dear," the lady said with a smile. "Come, we better eat up. Adam's already at the shop."

The shadow-like being nodded. "Emily, I was wondering, may I join you all in the shop today? Charlotte told me a little about it and I'm intrigued to see it."

Emily smiled. "Of course," she said.

He smiled back. "Thank you," he said.

After eating, they headed out a shop that was modest, but roomy and the sign said "The Little Things Shop". Snatcher was curious about the name and Charlotte giggled.

"Daddy said that the little things matter, so he named the shop that so that people will pause to remember that little things are important," she said.

"Very clever," the shadow-like being said as they went in and Emily set up the pastries on a display and Adam came out, unloading some more figurines on a shelf. Snatcher took a closer look and found them to be knick-knacks and each one was unique. "No two are alike," he said softly.

"That's right," Adam said with a smile. "Each one is unique because I make them by hand without using molds."

"He's even had a few special orders," Emily said.

Charlotte giggled before going up to a door. "Mommy, Daddy, can I show Uncle Snatcher the hourglass room? Please?" She asked.

"Alright," Adam said with a nod. "Also, please check on that hourglass on the counter. It should be repaired by now."

"Okay, Daddy," the little girl said, going over and grabbing her uncle's hand. "Come on. You've got to see this."

He chuckled and let her guide him to the door and through it and his eyes widened at seeing all the Time Pieces in the room. "Wow," he breathed softly.

Charlotte giggled again. "Yeah," she said. "Mommy said that our family has been Time Watchers for a very long time. Long before she was born."

Snatcher looked around to see there were also bookshelves filled with books, but these books looked the same and he grew curious. "What are these books?" He asked.

"They're record books," she said. "Daddy and Mommy keep them to record how things go with the hourglasses, like when they were dusted, cleaned, or repaired." She pointed to a table that contained an hourglass and a book. "That's the hourglass Daddy was talking about. The book will say what happened to it."

Lifting the young girl up in his arms, the shadow-like being looked at the pages before spotting the entry. "Here it is," he said before reading. "'The hourglass tipped over and cracked when it landed. It wasn't a big crack, but still a crack nonetheless. I have carefully filled the crack and polished the glass, but I need to keep a careful eye on it to make sure it fully repairs.'"

Charlotte picked up the Time Piece and began examining it carefully, finding no crack and the glowing sand was running through it smoothly. "Looks like it's all set," she said. "Now we have to write it in the book." She took the pen and next to the date and time, she began. "The hourglass is repaired and can return to the shelf. Sands running through it just fine."

Snatcher looked around. "Where does it go?" He asked.

"There should be a space where there's one missing," the little girl said.

The shelves were full of hourglasses, so it took a bit to spot the space that was empty, but once they did, the shadow lifted the little girl up to the shelf space and she placed the hourglass down gently on the shelf. "There," she said. She then noticed some were getting dusty. "We have to dust. If the hourglasses aren't cleaned, they can stop working and that would mean we're not very good time keepers."

"That's right," Emily said as she entered and began dusting. It didn't take long and Adam entered that into the log before his wife gasped and picked up an hourglass where the sand was stuck. "Oh, dear. It's stuck."

Adam gently took it from his wife and nodded. "It looks like some of the sand hardened," he said before setting it on the table. "Charlotte, can you get my repair kit, sweetie?"

"Yes, Daddy," the little girl said, running to get it and coming back just a bit later with it. Snatcher watched in fascination as Adam gently removed the top of the hourglass and began poking the sand with a long wire. They heard the soft sound of sand moving around before seeing it flow downwards again.

"There, that should do it," the man said, placing the top back on and making sure it was secure before handing it to Snatcher. "Could you put this one back up there on the shelf?"

"Of course," he said, doing so and he felt happy that he had been a part of the hourglass being repaired and put back into its proper place. He had a thought. "Can someone with good intentions use the Time Pieces?"

"Only if certain measures are taken," Emily answered. "But even then, it's very rare for someone to use a Time Piece like that."

"Why is that?" The shadow-like being asked.

"Because most of the time, many want to use them for selfish reasons, reasons that can harm others," she said and he winced, again reminded of how he had acted about the Time Pieces in his forest before he had given them back to Charlotte. "Snatcher, can you be honest with me?"

"Yes, ma'am?" He asked, having a feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

"Did you use the Time Pieces you had found for anything?"

He took a deep breath. "No," he said. "But I wanted to keep them and...I didn't want to give them back to Charlotte right away."

Adam lifted his head at that and saw how the shadow looked ashamed of himself. "What made you change your mind?" He asked gently.

Snatcher lifted his head up. "Charlotte did," he said honestly. "She was persistent and I couldn't help but admire that and her courage. And when she persuaded me to become her BFF, well...I just didn't have the heart to keep the Time Pieces from her."

Charlotte went up to him and hugged him. "And now you're my uncle," she said happily.

He chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. "It's hard to say 'no' to you, kid," he admitted. "Especially when you use those cute eyes of yours."

She giggled and Emily and Adam smiled. "Well, Snatcher, if you'd like, you can help us out with the shop," the latter said.

The shadow-like being looked at him. "For real?" He asked.

"For real," Emily said.

He bowed his head. "Thank you," he said. "I...I've never had someone be so nice to me. Before I met Charlotte, that is."

The little girl giggled and lifted her arms up, to which Snatcher picked her up and she snuggled into his mane of fur. "You're the best uncle ever, Uncle Snatcher," she said, making him blush a little, but smile at her as he stroked her head gently with one hand.

Emily and Adam smiled again, having a feeling the shadow was going to fit in just fine in the family.

* * *

**I figured it was time to see what Charlotte's parents did as Time Watchers and I just love bonding moments. :) Next up: more family bonding moments! :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	6. Family Night

**Chapter 6: Family Night **

A couple days later, Snatcher was helping Adam in the hourglass room when Charlotte came in, giggling up a storm and looking ecstatic. "Daddy! Uncle Snatcher!" She cried out happily.

Both turned and chuckled. "What's going on, sweetheart?" Adam asked.

"Mommy said we can have family night tonight!" The child said, her excitement palable.

The shadow-like being looked at the child. "Family night?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah!" She said, grabbing his hand and dancing around him, making him spin with her. "We get to play board games and other cool games and even watch a movie with a special snack Mommy makes!"

Adam chuckled. "We try to have a family night once a week since we're always busy otherwise," he said.

Snatcher grinned and scooped Charlotte up, holding her up over his head, to which she laughed happily. "Sounds like fun," he said.

"And best of all, it'll be our first family night with you, Uncle Snatcher," she said, reaching out for him and he brought her into a hug as she snuggled her face into his mane, a big smile on her face.

The shadow-like being looked a bit unsure. "I...I don't know how to play board games, little one," he admitted.

"Don't worry, Snatcher. We'll teach you," Adam said reassuringly.

"And there's no way we'd leave you out of family night," Charlotte said. "You have to join us. Please?"

Her eyes got really big and Snatcher chuckled. "Uh-oh, not the puppy eyes," he said, playfully poking the girl's side to make her giggle. "Okay, I'm in."

"Yay!" The little girl cheered as Adam chuckled, nodding as he looked around at the hourglasses.

"Everything looks good," he said. "Even the one where the sand got stuck is doing good."

Snatcher grew curious. "What happens if the sand isn't unstuck or an hourglass gets cracked beyond repair?" He asked.

Adam smiled. "Well, there are times that an hourglass is beyond repair," he said seriously. "It's never happened on our watch, but when Emily's grandmother was little, they had an hourglass stop completely, the sand getting stuck with no hope of getting fixed and the hourglass tipped over, breaking into several pieces."

Charlotte gasped, having never heard this story before. "What happened, Daddy?" She asked.

"Remember how we have empty hourglasses in the special cabinet?" He asked and the child nodded. "Those are for if that happens again. We immediately gather up the sand and run it through the sorting machine to get any broken glass out of the sand and then put the filtered sand into an empty hourglass. Then we take the pieces of glass and put them in the polisher to smooth down the sharp edges and we do the same with the metal, which I then put in my supplies and save for a special occasion."

"So that's why you have some gold metal in your stuff, Daddy," the little girl said.

"So none of it gets wasted," Snatcher said thoughtfully. "Clever."

"Thank you," Adam said. "Emily's grandfather was nice enough to teach me about making figurines out of metal and how to reuse broken parts of an hourglass after she and I had gotten married."

"I hope we never have to deal with a broken hourglass, Daddy," Charlotte said.

"Believe me, sweetheart. Me too," he said with a nod.

Snatcher equally felt the same way. "I'm guessing it's really bad if the sands aren't put in another hourglass right away?" He asked.

Adam nodded. "It could disrupt the timeflow and create a catastrophic disaster," he said.

Charlotte shivered at hearing that and Snatcher rubbed her back to soothe her. "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll make sure that never happens," he promised her.

Emily came in then and smiled. "What's with all the serious faces?" She asked jokingly. "We're going to have family night tonight."

"Daddy was telling Uncle Snatcher and me about what happens when a Time Piece gets broken and can't be fixed," Charlotte said. "And how if the sands aren't put into another hourglass, it's really bad."

"Yes, it is," the woman said seriously. "Thankfully, that's never happened because we Time Watchers make sure that the sand is gathered quickly and put into an empty hourglass to keep things running smoothly."

Adam nodded before smiling at his wife. "Are we about ready to close up shop for the day?" He asked.

"Yes, we are," she said with a smile.

Securing the shop, the family headed back home and the board games were immediately pulled out. Snatcher watched in fascination as they first played Trouble, trying to get all their pieces to the middle of the board without being sent back to their starting spots. It was fun to play and was very close until Emily won in the end. The next game was CLUE, which Snatcher found he liked because it was a mystery game and just like a good detective story. Charlotte won that one and they then played Candyland, which was a lot of fun as they played it in two teams, the child and shadow-like being against the two parents and both Snatcher and Charlotte won that game, to which the child happily glomped him and Emily smiled before they pulled out Battleship and played the version of it called Salvo, which was where a player could call out five shots at a time, one shot for each of their five ships, but if they lost a ship, then they could only call out four shots at a time and so on. It made for a much more fun version of the game and it came close in the end with Adam and Emily winning by one shot.

Snatcher smiled, not minding that he and Charlotte hadn't won because it had come close and they were all having fun, which was the most important thing about playing any game.

"Alright, it's time for a movie," Emily said with a smile as she got up. "I'll go make us all a snack."

"I'll help you, Emily," Snatcher said immediately.

"And Daddy and I will pick out the movie," Charlotte said.

"Let's see what we've got," Adam said as he and his daughter went to the movie shelves while the shadow-like being and woman went into the kitchen for the snack.

Emily smiled at Snatcher. "What do you think?" She asked.

He smiled. "It's a lot of fun," he admitted. "You know, I was unsure about Charlotte when I first met her, but she really grew on me." He looked up at the woman. "She's a special kid, one that accepted me and offered me friendship, something I had never known about before."

He looked a little sad at this and didn't see the woman smile, but he did grunt as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind and began tickling him, her hands going right for his weak spot at the top part of where his ribs would be. Letting out a yelp of surprise, he began laughing, his body freezing up with tickle paralysis as Emily tickled him to pieces.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EMIHIHIHIHIHILY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! NOHOHOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHERE!" He laughed out.

"Oh, did I find someone's weak spot?" She cooed to him, which only made him laugh harder.

In the living room, both Adam and Charlotte heard Snatcher laughing and the girl giggled before squealing as her father caught her and began tickling her, making her laugh and squeal with giggles before she managed to escape and ran into the kitchen, running over to Snatcher and glomping him as he was currently on the kitchen floor as Emily tickled his most ticklish spot as he laughed heartily before the woman finally let him up with a smile.

Charlotte giggled and snuggled her face into her uncle's mane, to which he chuckled. "Did you tell your mother about me being ticklish? Especially on a certain spot?" He asked the child, playfully poking her sides.

The child giggled again. "No," she said cutely. "Mommy just knows when someone is ticklish."

Emily chuckled in amusement. "Alright, let's get that snack," she said. "Did you and Daddy find a good movie, Charlotte?"

"Yeah!" The little one said happily. "Pete's Dragon, the original one."

"Ah, that's a good one," the woman said.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all in the living room with bowls of trail mix that had chocolate in it as a treat and the movie was set up to play. As it got started, Charlotte snuggled into Snatcher's side and he smiled, wrapping an arm gently around her, his hand stroking her head soothingly as they all relaxed and the shadow-like being was hoping that there would be more nights like this one: calm, peaceful, and around loving family.

It didn't get any better than that.

* * *

**All games and movies mentioned belong to their respective owners. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	7. Trouble Brewing

**Chapter 7: Trouble Brewing **

A few days later was a day when the shop was closed, but the family still checked on the Time Pieces to make sure they were all functioning properly. "Everything looks good, Adam," Snatcher said.

"Good," the man said with a nod before smiling. "There's a market in town that Emily and Charlotte like to go to. Why don't you join us?"

"I'd love that," the shadow-like being said with a smile. He had recently been thinking about giving Charlotte a shadow puppet outfit and he needed the materials to make one. He had a feeling the kid would be thrilled with it.

Closing up the shop, they headed back home and Emily smiled as she saw them. "I've got the treats ready for the road," she said.

Charlotte came out. "I'm ready!" She said with a grin.

"Alright then," Adam said, smiling at his wife and daughter. "Let's be off."

It was a pleasant walk to the market and as Charlotte stuck close to her mother, Adam went around to look for scrap metal and Snatcher found a booth that sold cloth and various other items. He spotted some cloth that was the same dark purple as him and nodded, seeing there was enough cloth to make the kid a shadow puppet outfit and with a little bit of magic, he could make it so that she wouldn't outgrow it too soon. Making his purchase and thanking the merchant, he saw a booth selling books and went over to see if he could find some new books and had just found a couple of them when he heard a voice loud and clear say Charlotte's name.

"I'll kidnap the child to get a Time Piece," the voice said.

"But Elder, the Time Pieces are too valuable," said another voice. "Besides, kidnap a child? You're not thinking straight."

A harsh sound that sounded like a slap reached Snatcher's ears a moment later. "Then I'll do it myself," said the Elder.

Getting a bad feeling that the voice he heard belonged to the same Elder that had sent Charlotte into space on her 'mission', Snatcher quickly paid for the two books and moved quickly, finding Adam purchasing some scrap metal. He moved over to him and the man turned in time to see the shadow-like being coming towards him with an urgent look on his face. "Adam, where are Charlotte and Emily?" Snatcher asked him.

"Over by the fresh fruit," the man said, gesturing in that direction. "Why? What is the matter?"

"We need to get them out of here," the shadow-like being said urgently. "I'll explain when we're somewhere safe."

Sensing this was very urgent, Adam nodded and the two moved quickly over to other two members of their family, Emily having just finished purchasing some fruit and Charlotte buying a stuffed tiger with her allowance. "Emily, Charlotte," Adam said, getting their attention.

The woman turned to her husband. "Yes, hon?" She asked.

"We need to go. Now."

Seeing the urgent look on his face, she nodded and saw Snatcher pick up Charlotte, holding her protectively in his arms before the shadow-like being pulled Adam and Emily closer, teleporting them and himself away and into the nearby forest. "What's wrong?" Emily asked in worry.

Snatcher looked at them. "I overheard something," he said. "There was an elder speaking to someone and he said Charlotte's name. He said he was going to kidnap her to get a Time Piece."

Charlotte gasped in fear. "Did you see him?" She asked.

"No, but someone else was with him, someone that didn't agree with kidnapping you," her uncle said.

"You're certain it was an elder?" Emily asked, her voice filled with worry.

"The other one with him called him 'Elder'," the shadow-like being said. "He even said he'd kidnap Charlotte himself."

Adam nodded, seeing how serious this was. "He might be headed for the shop now," he said. "We need to get home right away."

"Gather close. I'll teleport us there."

Moments later, they were home and Adam went to the shop to watch over it and do some work while Emily set about on the housework. "Snatcher, will you stay by Charlotte until the Elder is stopped?" She asked.

"Of course," he said instantly.

Charlotte looked saddened and followed her uncle to his room, hugging her new stuffed tiger close. Seeing her downtrodden state, Snatcher pulled her into a hug. "Shh, don't worry, kiddo. No one's going to kidnap you on my watch and if that Elder tries anything, he'll not only face your parents, but me as well," he promised.

She sniffled and snuggled into his hug, to which he rubbed her back and got an idea. "Hey, want to watch a movie? You pick."

She nodded and went to find her favorite movie, coming back moments later and the shadow-like being got the movie going for the young girl, who sat down and was soon engrossed in the movie. Seeing this, Snatcher smiled and set to work on making the child's gift. By the time the movie was done, the outfit was finished and he smiled proudly before turning around and looking at the child. "Charlotte," he cooed to her, making her turn to him. "I've got something for you."

Her face lit up with curiosity. "What?" She asked.

He smiled. "Close your eyes," he said.

She did as she was told before peeking through her fingers, which he noticed and gently poked her stomach, making her giggle. "No peeking," he playfully scolded, making her giggle again before he saw her eyes were truly closed and he held up the outfit in front of her. "Okay, you can open your eyes."

She did and gasped as she saw the outfit, her eyes widening curiously as she looked up at him and looked at the outfit. "It matches you!" She squealed, accepting it and then hugging her uncle, who smiled and hugged her back.

"It's a shadow puppet outfit," he explained. "Go ahead. Try it on. It'll fit over your current outfit."

The child slipped it on and to her delight, she now looked like a mini version of her uncle and she squealed happily. "I love it!" She said, glomping her uncle, who chuckled as he held her and was pleased that the outfit had not only cheered her up, but it fit her well.

"And the best part is, as you grow, the outfit will too," he said.

Charlotte giggled and looked up at her uncle. "Bet I can scare someone better in this than you can," She said playfully.

"Hey, I'm the top scarer when it comes to scaring someone," he bantered back playfully.

"Nuh-uh!" She said, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.

Snatcher gasped in mock shock. "Oh, that's it," he said, his grin growing on his face. "Now you're going to get it."

Charlotte squealed as fingers tickled her sides before the shadow-like being lifted up her shirt just enough to expose the small stomach and he went to town on tickling his niece's tickle spot, making her squeal with giggles. "Tickle, tickle, tickle! Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" He cooed to her. "I want that sweet yummy tummy!"

The child laughed as her uncle blew a raspberry right onto her belly button before feeling him start to playfully munch on her stomach, which made her squeal louder as it tickled like crazy.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! UNCLE! THAHAHAHAT TIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLES!" She laughed out.

"Oh, it does, hmm?" He asked with a smirk before continuing the playful munching, taking care to make sure his fangs where safely behind his lips so that he didn't accidentally hurt his niece as he made her laugh herself silly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed. "UNCLE! PLEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASE!"

He chuckled. "Aww, you're ruining my fun," he said playfully, but he did let her up as seeing she was looking winded. He chuckled again. "But you do make a cute shadow puppet."

She giggled and reached up for him, to which he picked her up, giving her an affectionate kiss on the forehead. The child giggled again and rubbed her nose against where his nose would be and he returned the nuzzle before feeling her cuddle closer to him. "Ah, kid. You're just too cute," he said. "You've made this shadow a pile of mush."

Charlotte giggled again. "Because you're my awesome and goofy uncle," she said.

"Goofy, huh?" He smirked, poking her stomach playfully, to which she squeaked with giggles and pushed his hand away, making him chuckle. "Alright, I'll let that one slide this time."

As she settled down, the child suddenly clung to him and he noted she looked afraid. "Uncle Snatcher, I'm scared," she admitted. "What if...What if that Elder does come to kidnap me?"

"He won't get you," Snatcher said soothingly. "And we're going to keep him from getting a Time Piece. As your mom said, a lot of people want to use them for selfish reasons and I've got a feeling the Elder has a very selfish reason."

"You might be right, Snatcher," came Adam's void and he turned to find Charlotte's parents in the doorway.

"The Elder is no doubt desperate and will come soon," Emily said. "The shop is locked up tight, as is the house."

Charlotte looked at her parents and reached for them, to which Snatcher handed her to the other two adults, who hugged her before Emily noticed her daughter's new outfit. "Where did this come from?" She asked curiously.

The child giggled. "Uncle Snatcher made it for me," she said. "So that we're twins!"

Adam smiled. "You definitely look like a mini version of him," he said to his daughter, giving Snatcher a grateful look and the shadow-like being nodded.

"I figured something like that would cheer her up after the fright we got," Snatcher said in a low voice to Adam.

"Good idea," the man said before they all headed for the living room, huddled together and just waiting for the storm to start.

* * *

**Mad King C had suggested the shadow puppet outfit, so a big thank you to him for that suggestion. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	8. Loving Memories

**Chapter 8: Loving Memories **

It had been tense for the rest of the day and the next day was a bit better, but still a little tense as they waited for the Elder to strike. Adam and Snatcher had both checked on the Time Pieces, but the shop remained closed. "I should have followed him to see about when he was planning to strike," the shadow-like being said.

"It's alright, Snatcher," Adam said. "Actually, Emily and I had been prepared for him to do something like this before Charlotte vanished the first time."

Snatcher looked at him. "He threatened to kidnap her before?" He asked.

"No, but he threatened we'd regret not selling him a Time Piece," the man said. "He came while we were asleep and woke Charlotte up to send her on that mission. When we woke up the next day, she was gone and there was a note on her bed, so we knew she was gone."

The shadow-like being felt horror grip him as he imagined how he would feel if the kid was suddenly gone like that. "I can't imagine how you and Emily must have felt," he said. "I would have been furious at him."

"We were, but we had no proof it was him, so we couldn't say anything," Adam said. "And when she returned home...it was like a dream come true."

Snatcher smiled. "I think even if I hadn't befriended her or met her, she would have found a way," he said. "She's very resourceful."

"That she is," the man said with a smile. "You know, one time, she wanted a cookie, but was too short to reach the counter and she built a tower out of her blocks and a couple chairs to reach the cookies."

"She did?" The shadow-like being asked. "How old was she?"

"Two at the time," Adam said. "Emily got a picture of it. Come, I'll show you."

They went into the house where Emily was mending a shirt and Charlotte was playing with her blocks. "Emily, do you know where the photo album is?" The man asked his wife.

"Under the coffee table," she said, gesturing with her hand with a smile.

Charlotte perked up at that and ran to grab it, pulling it out and managing to carry it, though it was a bit heavy. Adam accepted it from his daughter and opened it up, stopping at the first page, which showed the announcement of his daughter's birth and he smiled. Snatcher noticed and gazed at the picture, a smile on his face as he looked at the picture. "Is this Charlotte when she was born?" He asked.

"Yes," Adam said.

Emily smiled. "I remember that day like it was yesterday," she said.

The young girl looked up at her mother, eye bright as she had a feeling her parents were going to tell a story. Seeing this, the older woman smiled and picked up her daughter, setting her in her lap. "Your father and I were very surprised when we found out I was expecting you," she continued.

"Really?" Charlotte asked.

Adam chuckled. "Yes," he said. "When I learned I was going to be a father, I was thrilled, but the best day was the day you were born, sweetie."

Snatcher smiled at this. "That must have been a wonderful day," he said.

"It was," Adam said as he had a faraway look on his face. "Emily woke me up in the middle of the night five years ago...,"

* * *

_Flashback start..._

"Adam? Adam!"

He heard Emily call his name in an urgent whisper as she was shaking his shoulder and he woke up instantly, sitting up and glancing around while placing himself instinctively in front of his wife to shield her in case something was wrong. "Honey?" He heard her say and turned to look at her.

"What's wrong, my love?" He asked, turning to turn on the bedside light before turning back to her and seeing her face was a bit white and she winced, placing a hand on her round stomach. Adam's eyes widened and he looked at his wife.

"It's time?" He asked.

She nodded. "It's time."

Getting up and getting dressed swiftly, he went over to his wife, helping her into her bathrobe while he grabbed a duffel bag of things she would need while at the hospital. Putting the duffel bag on his back, he gently picked Emily up bridal style and carried her out of the house and she managed to grab the house keys before locking the door as he held her. Thankfully, the hospital was only a few blocks away and Adam moved swiftly, glad that it was a warm night as Emily winced and let out a small sound of pain as another contraction hit. "Hold on, honey," he whispered soothingly. "We'll be there soon and then we can welcome our little one into the world."

Emily smiled up at her husband, leaning her head against his shoulders. "Do you want a boy or a girl?" She asked.

He smiled. "Either one, because I'll be a father either way," he said.

She smiled again. "If it's a boy, I hope he'll have your eyes," she said.

Adam smiled at her again. "If it's a girl, I hope she'll have your beauty and your eyes," he said, kissing her forehead as she snuggled into his hug, another contraction hitting her and she winced.

"I think our little one is eager to come out into the world too," she said as the pain subsided for the moment.

At that time, they made it to the hospital and there were soon in the delivery room with the midwife, who was doing her job efficiently and she nodded. "It's nearly time," she said. "Are the contractions closer, honey?"

Emily nodded as another one hit her and she winced, squeezing her husband's hand and he gently squeezed her shoulder. "Hang in there, honey," he said.

The midwife nodded in approval. "Keep talking to her," she said to Adam. "Have her focus on your voice for now. I'll let you both know when it's time for her to start pushing."

The man nodded, talking to his wife as a few more contractions hit before the midwife smiled. "Alright, it's time," she said gently.

"Okay, Emily," he said to her. "Come on, you can do it."

Holding her husband's hand, Emily began pushing, taking deep breaths in between pushes. "You're doing wonderfully," the midwife said encouragingly before gasping. "I can see the head, dear. Keep pushing."

Encouraged by that and seeing her husband's smiling face, the young woman pushed with all her might. Adam nodded. "You're doing great, honey. We're going to meet our little one soon," he said.

Just then, a baby's cry filled the air and Emily leaned back, exhausted but her face was shining with joy. The midwife smiled. "I'll be right back with this little one," she said, going over to the other side of the room and quickly drying off the little one and taking her measurements, nodding before putting the little one in a white onesie and wrapping a pink blanket around her. "There we go. Let's get you over to your parents, sweetie."

Adam and Emily both watched in wonder as the midwife came over and gently handed the pink bundle to them. "Congratulations, you have a beautiful, healthy daughter," she said.

Emily held her daughter as happy tears filled her eyes. "Oh, my baby girl," she said softly before looking at her husband. "We have a daughter, honey."

Adam had tears of joy in his eyes as he accepted his new daughter from his wife. "Hello, little one," he said, gazing at his daughter as she opened her eyes for the first time. He gasped as he saw his daughter's eyes were the same blue as his wife's and he smiled. "She has your eyes, Emily," he said, moving closer so that his wife could see.

The new mother smiled. "And look, she's got brown hair," she said as they saw brown locks of hair sticking out from under the beanie the baby wore.

The midwife smiled as she finished cleaning everything up. "Do you feel any lingering pain, Emily?" She asked in a motherly voice.

"No," Emily said. "But I am a little sore."

The midwife nodded. "You did very good for giving birth for the first time," she said.

"When can Emily and the baby come home?" Adam asked.

"As soon as the doctor clears them both," the lady said with a smile. "I'll go get him right now."

The doctor came in moments later and was pleased to hear all had gone well. "Well, I guess all that remains is naming the baby," he said with a smile. "The paperwork is all set except for that."

Emily smiled at her husband. "What about...Charlotte?" She asked.

"Charlotte," Adam repeated, seeing the baby look at them when they said the name and he smiled and nodded. "Yes, Charlotte," he said.

The doctor wrote the name down and smiled. "That's a beautiful name for her," he said. "She looks like a Charlotte."

"Yes, she does," Emily said.

Adam signed the discarge papers and hailed a taxi, which took them home and both smiled as they gazed upon their new daughter, who was sleeping soundly in her mother's arms. "Welcome home, our daughter," Adam said as Emily gazed up lovingly at him, both feeling thrilled at being new parents.

_Flashback end..._

* * *

Snatcher smiled as he gazed at the pictures of Charlotte when she was a baby. "She certainly hasn't lost her cuteness," he said as he playfully wrapped his tail around Charlotte, making her giggle as she squirmed to get free of her playful uncle.

"That she hasn't," Emily said.

"Ah, here it is," Adam said, pointing to a picture that showed a large tower of blocks that looked like steps and the two chairs and Charlotte was sitting in the chairs, happily eating a chocolate chip cookie, getting chocolate on her face.

Emily chuckled. "I remember that day," she said. "I was shocked that she had found a way and had done so without falling down and then I just had to take a picture because it was too cute."

Snatcher had to chuckle too. "Cute and resourceful," he said, feeling Charlotte gently tug his arm and he scooped her up, chuckling again as she nuzzled her face into his mane. "Ah, kid. You've turned me into a big old marshmallow, haven't you?"

Charlotte giggled. "You've always been just a big marshmallow," she said with a grin.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is that so?" He asked, his voice taking on a playful tone.

"Yup!" She giggled again. "A big squishy marshmallow!"

"Oh, that's it," he said playfully, his hands reaching for her stomach and tickling her, making her squeal with laughter as she tried to escape, but his tail wrapped gently around her legs, keeping her trapped as he lifted up her shirt just a little and blew a raspberry right into her belly button, making her squeal again before he noticed her face was getting red and he stopped, scooping her up into his arms as she let out a few last giggles before settling down and letting out a yawn. "Sleepy, kiddo?"

"A little," she admitted.

Emily looked outside. "It is getting late," she said.

It was true. The skies were dark as a full moon was rising and the stars were shining. Adam smiled before looking worried and getting up to make sure the house was completely secure. Seeing that the man was worried, Snatcher reinforced the locks with his powers. "There," he said. "If anything breaks those locks, we'll know right away."

"Thank you, Snatcher," Adam said, feeling a bit better about their safety now.

* * *

_Later that night..._

Snatcher woke up at feeling a hand gently touch his face and he opened his eyes, seeing Charlotte looking at him and she looked scared. Smiling understandingly, he pulled back the covers and patted the spot beside him, watching as she crawled up and snuggled close to him as he tucked her in. "You okay, kiddo?" He asked. "Did you have a bad dream?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep," she said.

He had a feeling he knew why as he rubbed her back soothingly. She looked up at him. "Uncle Snatcher, can you sing me that song again? Please?" She begged, her blue eyes looking into his yellow ones pleadingly.

Snatcher smiled and nodded, wrapping an arm around her protectively before he began signing softly.

"_A moon rises with a smile, _

_The stars shining in the sky, _

_Gazing down upon me and you, _

_As each hour goes by. _

_Eyes closing, a soft pillow, _

_Each has their own little song, _

_Ready to sing it to you, _

_As the night moves along. _

_Listen to the lull of this lullaby, _

_Dreams will come find you tonight, _

_As you sleep in your warm bed, _

_Until it becomes morning's light." _

The shadow-like being smiled at seeing Charlotte fall asleep and he kissed her forehead in affection. "Don't worry, kiddo. Your mom, dad, and I will keep you safe," he whispered to her. "I promise."

With that, he closed his eyes, falling back asleep as the child sleeping beside him snuggled closer to him, feeling safe with him as they now slept peacefully.

* * *

**I think I just melted from all the cuteness. XD **

**Next up: The Elder returns and the family must face him. **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	9. Battle For Time

**Chapter 9: Battle For Time **

When Snatcher woke up the next morning, he felt something was off and looked out the window. The streets, which he had seen were usually busy, were deserted. He checked the time and found it to be around 7 o'clock in the morning. The streets weren't ever this dead early in the morning.

He quickly went to check on Charlotte, finding her still asleep in bed. Nodding, he checked on Emily and Adam, finding them both up and he could tell by the looks on their faces, something was up. "You sense it too?" He asked them.

Adam nodded. "I think the storm is about to hit," he said.

Emily looked upset. "We'll have to face him," she said. "He sent this notice out and I found it on our door this morning."

She held out a paper and Snatcher took it, reading it and his eyes widened as he read the warning to stay indoors as an awful storm was going to hit them suddenly. He bared his teeth and growled. "He's making sure you couldn't call on some allies for help," he said. "And they wouldn't dare go against an elder, would they?"

"No," Adam said with a shake of his head. "But if he did something that made him lose their trust, they'd go against him."

"But we have no proof that he kidnapped Emily and sent her on a mission that could have ended up with her being lost forever," Emily said.

Snatcher growled. "So he's thought of everything," he said, pacing the floor before deciding to try something. Taking the paper, he set it on the floor and called up some of his magic. A spot appeared on the floor around the paper before the shadow-like being roared, causing a stream of colorful magic to fly upwards, incinerating the paper. Adam and Emily jumped at seeing this, but then saw him nod. "Good, at least that works."

He turned to them. "Sorry about that, I was testing to see if my powers would work," he explained. "The elder isn't expecting that Charlotte had help returning home. At least I don't think so, so that just might give us an edge."

"Snatcher, you would fight with us to keep Charlotte safe?" Emily asked.

He nodded. "She's your daughter and my niece. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm very protective of my family."

Charlotte came into the kitchen then, rubbing her eyes. "What was that noise?" She asked before looking up at her uncle. "Uncle Snatcher, why did you roar?"

"Oh, whoops. Sorry, kiddo," he said contritely, picking her up. "Uncle Snatcher was just making sure his powers were in working order."

She looked at him and knew something was wrong. "We're going to face the elder today, aren't we?" She asked.

The shadow-like being nodded. "I'm afraid so, kiddo."

"He sent out a warning for everyone to stay inside today due to a storm coming," Adam said. "Of course, we know what his real reason is."

Charlotte clung to Snatcher, who held her protectively in his arms. "What if he succeeds?" She asked fearfully.

"Not while we still stand, kiddo," Snatcher said firmly. "Your folks and I aren't going to let him get away with this."

Emily nodded before standing up. "Well, let's get ready," she said. "The hourglasses are all safe and locked away and we're ready to face the elder."

It was a solemn breakfast and once they had finished eating, a knock came at the door. Charlotte hid behind her father, who grabbed a walking stick that he had and held it as if it was a wizard's staff. Emily pulled out a couple of tonfa and was ready to use them. Snatcher was surprised when he saw this, but nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's show that elder what happens when he tries to mess with our family."

Adam smiled at that before growing solemn and opening the door to find the elder standing there and he looked like he was about to pull the door off the hinges. "Give me a Time Piece," he growled. "Or you'll lose more than just your daughter."

"No," Emily said, glaring at him. "We refuse!"

Adam looked at the elder. "We know you sent Charlotte away in hopes that we would lose and you could steal an hourglass," he said firmly.

The elder chuckled. "You have no proof," he said. "No one's going to believe a five-year-old child. They'll think she has a very active imagination."

That made Snatcher furious that the man was acting as if Charlotte wasn't smart. "I believe her," he said with a growl. "And you knew the ship that you sent her in wasn't fit for flying. You were hoping she would have been lost forever."

"But yet she made it back," the elder said with a snarl.

"Yeah," Charlotte said, glaring at him. "Because Uncle Snatcher helped me."

The elder held out his staff. "No matter," he said. "Now, a Time Piece, if you please."

"Never," Adam growled.

As the elder charged into the house, Adam and Emily fought him while Snatcher kept Charlotte behind him, shielding her and ready to use his powers if he had to.

The battle was fairly even until the elder surprised them all by reaching into his pouch and pulling out a Time Piece. Adam gasped as he recognized it. "The Time Piece that had a broken base," he said in shock.

Emily gasped as she noticed the base was still broken, almost ready to give way. The sand was still in the hourglass, but that could change if the base came off. "So that's where it went," she said.

"Ah, yes," the elder said with a chuckle. "A gift from your daughter."

Charlotte shook her head. "I never gave you a Time Piece!" She said.

"Oh, but you did, the night you took off, little one."

As the greedy elder chuckled again, realization hit Snatcher like a ton of bricks. "You stole one of the Time Pieces that were on her ship!" He said. "Which means one of the Time Pieces was a fake!"

"A fake?" Emily asked in horror.

Snatcher nodded before looking at Charlotte. "Kiddo, remember when you helped that blonde girl? You dropped a Time Piece to help her?"

"Yeah?" Charlotte asked.

"You didn't realize it, but you gave her the fake one the elder had given you in place of a real one," he said. "I kept wondering why you were so anxious to have a fake Time Piece, but now...it's crystal clear."

The child felt horrible as she had given Mustache Girl the Time Piece to help her and hadn't realized it was a fake. "Hope she's not mad at me," she said.

"Nah, she's too busy fighting the other guys to realize it's just a plain hourglass," the shadow-like being said before glaring at the elder. "You knew there was a chance she might lose the Time Pieces and even if she got them all back, you needed to make sure she didn't have a chance to return home, so you replaced a Time Piece with a regular hourglass."

"Give the ghost a gold star," the elder said sarcastically.

Snatcher glared at him. "But you didn't count on the kid gaining a protective uncle who hates bullies like you and who decided to help her," he said before raising his arms, flashing circles appearing on the floor before he roared, purple ink-like shadow power rising up in a geyser, catching the elder off guard. The shadow-like being flew quickly and grabbed the Time Piece from the elder. "Nor did you count on this shadow creature coming into this family and swearing to protect them all."

Angry, the elder moved faster than they could have anticipated and grabbed Charlotte, making her scream as he dragged her towards the door where the hum of a ship made itself known and the elder held up his staff, to which they saw was a control and it looked like he was controlling the ship remotely. "I warned you that you would regret it," he said as he backed up, holding Charlotte like a human shield.

"Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Snatcher!" Charlotte cried out.

"Let our daughter go!" Adam and Emily yelled at the same time.

"Let her go!" Snatcher yelled, charging just as the other two adults did. The elder quickly tried to keep Adam and Emily back and hold onto Charlotte, but that was hard to do, which made it easy for Snatcher to fly in and grab the child, holding her to him as he noticed a beam start to come from the ship. "Look out!" He cried out, quickly pushing the elder away from Charlotte's parents and shielding the couple and their child with his own body.

The elder, startled by this, stumbled but caught his balance, though when he did, he put himself directly into the beam, which hit him and he began to fade away. "No!" He screamed out, pressing a button on his staff right before he disappeared.

What felt like an earthquake shook the ground as the skies suddenly darkened and the wind picked up strongly. Snatcher clung to his family desperately, keeping them safe as he had a feeling this storm was the elder's doing.

But just as it started, it suddenly stopped and something hit the ground. The shadow-like being turned to look and to his shock, he saw a smoking device that looked like a bomb and a weather balloon combined. "So that's how he did it," he said, letting the family see what had fallen. "The elder must have planned for a storm to hit to make a getaway, but when we surprised him, he tried to activate it and it only worked partway because wherever he was beamed to, he's too far away from the device to control it."

Emily looked around, seeing the damage that had been done. Sticks littered the streets, some homes had windows smashed, flower pots were tipped over and mud splattered much of the homes. "It looks like his device created a rain burst mixed with high winds and an earthquake," she said.

"Thank goodness it didn't to worse damage," Adam said.

Charlotte, after the shock wore off, began crying in relief that it was now over. Immediately, her parents and uncle gathered around her, hugging her comfortingly. "Shh, we're here, sweetheart," Emily said soothingly to her daughter.

"That elder's gone, honey," Adam said.

"And no one will ever hurt you again, kiddo," Snatcher said.

Some of the townspeople came out and they looked around at the mess left behind and one couple approached the Time Keepers. "We saw everything," the man said. "Who knew the elder would do such a thing?"

Another stepped forward and sighed. "Well, looks like we won't have to worry about him anymore," he said.

"We should get to cleaning up," said a third person.

Hearing that, Adam and Emily looked at each other and smiled before nodding. "After the cleanup," the woman said to her husband.

Charlotte looked up at her parents. "After the cleanup what?" She asked.

"Yeah, what?" Snatcher echoed, curious.

Adam smiled. "You'll see," he said.

* * *

**So the elder is now gone, but what were Adam and Emily talking about? Stay tuned to find out! :) **

**And please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	10. Rebuilding

**Chapter 10: Rebuilding **

Everyone came out to lend a hand on the cleanup as the town was quite messy from the sudden storm burst, though everyone was grateful the worst of the damage was just a few windows broken. One lady came up to the Time Family. "And to think that elder was trying to get a Time Piece," she said. "Why was he trying to do that?"

"Most likely to make this town obey him or he'd use it against us," said one man.

"Or maybe change something in his life or someone else's life," said another lady. "Time is very precious and shouldn't be meddled with as even the best intentions can have negative results."

"Very true," said Adam.

Charlotte looked a little unnerved at that, to which Snatcher scooped her up quickly, making her giggle as he spun her around. The townspeople gathered around them all smiled at seeing this and chuckled at hearing the child laugh heartily as the shadow-like being flew around with her over his head in the game of 'airplane'. "He's got a soft spot for her, doesn't he?" Asked the first lady that had spoken.

"Yes, he does," Emily said with a smile.

They heard Charlotte giggle as Snatcher floated back down to the ground, getting setting the young one back on her feet. She giggled again. "Again!" She said excitedly, looking up at her uncle with big eyes and he chuckled.

"Let's get some more cleanup done and I'll take you flying again afterwards," he promised.

She nodded and it wasn't long before the whole town was cleaned up again with everything restored. The council then addressed the town. "The elder that caused all this and kidnapped young Charlotte is banished for good," the leading council man said.

"A new elder will be chosen upon careful consideration," a council lady said.

"What about Adam?" A man asked. "He'd be good for the job."

Murmurs of agreement filled the air and Adam smiled. "I thank you for the vote of confidence," he said. "But my work is with my family and being a Time Watcher."

The townspeople applauded and the council promised to have a new elder chosen by the end of the day. For the moment, a celebration was due to not only the town being restored, but also for Charlotte's having been safely returned and to welcome Snatcher as a member of the town. The shadow-like being looked quite bashful about that, but Charlotte hugged him happily, which helped him feel a little less unsure about the celebration.

Everyone came together and it wasn't long before barbeque grills were fired up and cooking, music was playing, and people were bringing other food to make the celebration a giant potluck. Emily, Adam, Charlotte, and Snatcher had gone home to get some food to bring and just as they were about to head out, Emily opened up a special door by the door leading to the hourglass room and pulled out a golden hourglass. Charlotte gasped in surprise.

"The golden hourglass," she said in awe.

Snatcher could see why the girl was in awe. The hourglass itself shined in the light and looked to be glowing. Even the sand itself was glowing a gold color. "Wow," he said in surprise.

Adam smiled. "We've been saving that one for a special occasion," he said. "Golden hourglasses are very rare and should only be used for special occasions."

"I think getting rid of an evil elder, our daughter returning home, and us gaining a new family member are reason enough to use it," the older woman said.

"But...I thought no one could open the special hourglasses, Mommy," Charlotte said.

"The golden hourglasses can be opened, but it depends on the way to open them," Emily said.

"If I remember right, if touched by four people who mean well, this hourglass will open and give us something that will protect the town," Adam said.

Charlotte was bright eyed. "What would that be, Daddy?" She asked.

"Well, let's find out and see."

Emily held out the hourglass and Adam grasped it too. Charlotte reached up and touched it and looked at Snatcher, who didn't look so sure. "Please, Uncle Snatcher?" She pleaded.

He bit his lip. "But...," he began, doubts filling his mind.

"Come, Snatcher," Emily said, holding out her hand. "You are a member of this family and you mean well, because you not only saved our Charlotte, you helped save us all and the town."

He smiled and took her hand, letting her place his hand on the hourglass, which seemed to glow brighter now that all four of them were holding it. Moments later, the hourglass opened and the sands swirled upwards in a spiral before circling the family one at a time. Charlotte giggled as it circled her, tickling her ears as it do so and Snatcher let out a squeak as the sands circled his middle, squirming around as it circled him a bit longer before circling Adam and Emily, who both chuckled before the sands went back into the hourglass, parting to reveal something inside. Charlotte gasped. "Look," she said in awe.

Sitting on the top of the sand was a golden star that had a smiley face on it. Opening its eyes, the star seemed to gaze around before floating upward and going up to Charlotte, nuzzling her cheek. She giggled at the feeling before watching the star float over to her mother, who smiled and held out a hand. The star touched down gently in her hand and smiled at her before floating again and landing in Adam's outstretched hand, smiling again until it spotted Snatcher and, seeming to let out a squeal that sounded like a little bell, it flew over to him, nuzzling into the shadow-like being's mane of fur. He chuckled as it tickled a bit. "Hey, now," he said, trying to gently catch the star, but it just chirped happily and continued nuzzling him, to which he looked bashful and managed to catch the little star, smiling at it. "Only Charlotte can make me melt," he said gently, still smiling as the star settled into his hand and chirped again before going back over to Charlotte, settling down into her outstretched hand and glowing brightly, happy chirps filling the air.

Adam smiled. "It's chosen Charlotte to place it at the top of the town spire," he said.

She looked up to see the town spire in the middle of town and Snatcher smiled, leaning down to her. "Want to fly?" He asked her.

The little girl nodded eagerly and giggled as the shadow-like being scooped her up into his arms. "Hold on tight," he said to her and she wrapped her free arm around his neck, keeping the star in her other hand close to her to keep it safe. It chirped happily and nuzzled her hand, making her giggle as Snatcher flew through the air, keeping a secure hold on the little girl as Emily and Adam led the way on the ground to the spire. Seeming to know what was going on, the townspeople gathered around, eyes wide with excitement and happiness. The shadow-like being looked down at the little girl in his arms. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded. "Ready," she said.

Smiling, he floated up to the top of the spire and lifted her up so that she could put the star at the top. Charlotte carefully placed the star there and it chirped happily before glowing very brightly, casting a golden shine on the town. Someone gasped in shock. "Look," they said.

Everyone gazed around to see the buildings were being bathed in a golden light and when the light faded, the homes looked like brand-new with a touch of gold here and there. "It's beautiful," someone else said.

The council then came forward with the announcement of a new elder and there was much cheering in the air as the new elder accepted his new responsibilities and he raised his hands for a moment of silence. The crowd quieted as he began speaking.

"I have learned of the Time Family being the Time Watchers," he said. "I have a proposition for them."

Adam stepped forward and the elder smiled. "What would you say if I asked you and your family to bee the official time keepers?" He asked.

Emily gasped in surprise. To be the official time keepers meant that not only would they be responsible for making sure the hourglasses were intact as Time Watchers, but now would be granted the abilities that extended their current abilities. The elder smiled and looked at Snatcher, who was smiling. "They'll be the best time keepers," he said. "Charlotte and her parents are the best time watchers I know and they'll be amazing time keepers."

The elder smiled. "I believe you will be as well," he said, to which Snatcher looked surprised.

"Me?" He asked. "But...I just help out. I'm not a Time Watcher like Charlotte, Adam, and Emily."

"But you are, Snatcher," Adam said with a smile. "You've been helping us with our Time Watcher duties and you've done very good at it."

"You'll make a fine time keeper too," Emily said. "Besides, you're part of the family."

"So there's no way Mommy, Daddy, and I would exclude you from something like this," Charlotte said.

Snatcher looked uncertain, but the elder smiled and nodded. "Besides, four sets of eyes are better than three," he said.

Charlotte went up to her uncle, again giving him her cute eyes. The shadow-like being smiled and gently pinched the left side of her face. "Kid, you got to stop using those cute eyes on me," he said without heat.

She grinned. "But then how else can we convince you that you'd be a good time keeper too?" She asked.

He sighed with a smile, gently tapping her hat so that it fell over her eyes and she giggled, pushing her hat back up as he chuckled. "Alright, you've twisted my arm, kiddo," he said.

She looked up at him. "But I can't reach your arm from here," she said.

Everyone chuckled because it was true since Snatcher was floating beside Charlotte and was much taller than her. Adam and Emily came forward and Emily took her husband's hand and her daughter's hand. Grinning, the little girl reached up for Snatcher's hand and he smiled, gently taking hold of her hand. The elder smiled. "You are now not only the official Time Watchers, but also the official Time Keepers," he said.

A loud cheer rang up from the crowd as the Time Family, including Snatcher, bowed their heads in respect and acceptance of their new roles while the golden star continued shining brightly on the spire.

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**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	11. Epilogue

**Chapter 11: Epilogue **

"Get back here, you little scamp!" Snatcher said playfully as he chased after Charlotte, who giggled as she ran. She had gone in to wake him up that morning and had jumped on the bed, startling him and making him fall out of bed in surprise, which had made her laugh and run out of the room as he began chasing her.

"Can't catch me!" She taunted playfully.

"Oh, yes I can," he growled just as playfully. "And when I catch you, I'm going to eat up your ticklish little tummy!"

That made Charlotte run faster, though she was laughing happily. Adam and Emily smiled as they watched their daughter run past them with Snatcher hot on her heels, but it seemed like the shadow-like being was letting the young girl run ahead of him as he chased her, making the two smile.

"He's really got a soft spot for our little one, doesn't he?" Emily asked.

"That he does," Adam said. "Our Charlotte has a way of making people like her instantly."

Just then, Charlotte let out a squeal of surprise as Snatcher caught her in his arms. "Ah-ha! I've caught you!" He chuckled playfully. "Now what should I do with my cute, ticklish prisoner?"

The little girl struggled to get free, giggling at her uncle's playful words. "Let go!" She said playfully.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away that easily," he said. "And certainly not before I eat up that yummy little tummy."

Purple fingers poked her sides, making Charlotte giggle before laughing as those fingers tickled her stomach. She tried to push his hands away, but that proved futile as Snatcher was stronger, but he was also gentle with her.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo! Who's a ticklish little one who's got a yummy tummy just begging to be eaten?" He cooed to her.

His teasing only made the tickle torture worse, but the young girl was laughing happily before feeling her uncle stop and she looked up at him as he held her in his arms, but let her have a breather. She giggled. "I thought you were going to eat up my tummy?" She asked playfully.

"Oh, don't worry," he said, playfully poking her right where her belly button was, making her giggle. "When you get your breath back, that tummy is all mine."

She giggled again, snuggling her face into his mane of fur and he chuckled, nuzzling his forehead against her own in affection.

It had now been a week since the battle with the evil elder and the town was thriving under the new elder's care and the golden star still shone on top of the pillar. Snatcher hugged Charlotte closer as he thought about how they had nearly lost her and how the little girl had almost been lost forever in space. If she hadn't stopped at his old homeworld, she wouldn't be there today.

Charlotte sensed something was bugging her uncle. "Uncle Snatcher, what's wrong?" She asked.

He smiled. "Nothing, kiddo," he said reassuringly.

She gave him a look. "You were thinking about how the elder nearly won, huh?"

Snatcher chuckled. "Can't hide much from you, kid," he said before sighing and hugging her again. "But yeah. If you hadn't landed on my old homeworld when you did...,"

He trailed off and felt the young girl wrap her arms around his neck in a hug, snuggling her face into his mane again. "But I did and you helped me get home," she said. "And you became my uncle."

He chuckled. "Persistent little one," he said with a smile. "That and you're way too cute."

Charlotte giggled and gave him puppy eyes, to which he chuckled again. "Come on, kid. You know I can't resist your puppy eyes," he protested playfully.

"I know," she said with a giggle. "Cause you're a big softy."

"Oh, now you're going to get it."

Snatcher grinned mischievously and gently moved the little girl's shirt up just enough to expose her small stomach, taking a deep breath and blowing a big raspberry right over her belly button. Charlotte squealed with laughter at that and squirmed, squealing again when she felt him start to gently nibble on her stomach too. "Oh, this tummy is so yummy!" He said teasingly.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The little girl laughed.

Adam smiled at seeing this before winking at his wife and going up behind Snatcher, reaching forward and tickling the shadow-like being right on his tickle spot, making him yelp before he fell to the floor, landing on his back with Charlotte wrapped protectively in his arms. "Adam!" Snatcher protested without heat before squealing as the man began tickling him again.

Charlotte giggled. "Get him, Daddy!" She cheered.

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEY! WHOOHOOHOOHOOHOO'S SIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIDE ARE YOOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOOU OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHON?!" The shadow-like being asked through his laughter, his body having frozen with tickle paralysis so that he could only laugh as he was tickled.

Adam chuckled before letting Snatcher up and the shadow-like being smiled as he floated upright, feeling Charlotte hug his tail and he chuckled, the end part of his tail wrapping around the little one's waist and lifting her up onto his back. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck while his arms hooked around her knees to keep her from falling off. Emily smiled as she came up to them.

"We really owe you a debt of gratitude, Snatcher," she said. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome," he said. "Charlotte's a good kid. I'm proud to be her uncle."

He felt the child snuggle her face into his mane and smiled. Emily smiled too before going up and giving the shadow-like being a sisterly kiss on the cheek. Surprised, Snatcher blushed, two light purple spots appearing on his cheeks as he looked away bashfully. Charlotte giggled.

"Mommy made you blush, Uncle Snatcher!" She said gleefully.

"Oh, hush you," he said playfully, wiggling his fingers into her lower legs, making her squirm and giggle.

Adam smiled. "Well, I'd say we're all up for another family night," he said.

Emily nodded and Charlotte cheered while Snatcher grinned as they got the games out and they had just played through three board games when Adam looked at the time and smiled. "Charlotte, time for bed, sweetie," he said.

She nodded. "Will you and Mommy read me a story?" She asked hopefully.

He nodded and the little girl scampered off to get ready for bed, coming back out in her pajamas and grabbing Snatcher's hand, gently tugging him behind her. Chuckling, he scooped her up as he, Adam, and Emily came to the little girl's room and sat on her bed as she sat down by her pillow, pulling the covers over her legs as she waited for her story.

Adam smiled. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was an adventurer...," he began and as he continued, Snatcher noticed the story was familiar to him, because it was about a young girl who traveled to a new planet, made friends, and saved her home. He chuckled as he looked at her, seeing she was enjoying the story.

"And after they banished the cruel elder, the family lived happily ever after," Emily said, finishing the story.

Snatcher smiled. "Hmm, why does that story sound so familiar?" He asked knowingly.

"Because it's about us," Charlotte said with a giggle before yawning. "Mommy? Daddy? Uncle Snatcher? Will you stay, please?"

The three adults smiled and lay beside the child, the bed being big enough for all of them. Charlotte snuggled close to Snatcher while her mother lay on her other side and her father lay beside her mother. The shadow-like being smiled as he looked at his new family. "Never thought I'd be part of a family," he said. "But I couldn't pick a better family than this one."

"I couldn't pick a better uncle than you, Uncle Snatcher," Charlotte said before yawning. "Love you, Uncle. Love you, Mommy. Love you, Daddy."

"We love you too, pumpkin," Emily said.

"To the moon and back again," Adam said.

Snatcher smiled. "I love you too, kiddo," he said before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Adam and Emily followed suit, as did Charlotte as the night became peaceful with the moon shining brightly over the sleepy village and on the four people of the Time Family.

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**And that concludes "A Hat's Family". A huge thank you to all of you for making this story a hit and a huge thank you to dream1990 for requesting this story. :) **

**Please leave a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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